... As An In-House Social Media Marketer

RealNetworks' Social Media Marketing Strategist shares what it takes

Working as a social media professional you face a unique set of challenges. Those challenges are often even more so unique when you find yourself in an in-house role. There are certain political intricacies that one must navigate, certain stairwells that need to be climbed with rail in hand, and specific ways to go about things that will reap the most rewards. As an in-house social media strategist I have attempted to outline the Top 10 ways to ensure that you can help ensure both you and your initiatives get the support and backing necessary for success!

1) Insert Yourself

- It is quite likely that your position is a new one. It is also quite likely that you have a million great ideas about how your company should be participating in the social space. There are always balls rolling and projects moving forward. Be sure to insert yourself into these movements. Does the PR team have regular standing meetings? You should be going to those. Invite yourself. Is your creative team putting together a branding strategy? Get involved! Because Social Media is such a new medium for many companies, the other teams may not have any idea how you should be involved or how your channels and knowledge can add to existing projects. It is your job to be proactive and insert yourself into these spaces and speak up about how integrating your efforts are both necessary and beneficial.

2) Align Your Initiatives

- Youve now successfully inserted yourself where appropriate. Other members of the organization hopefully have a better and clearer understanding or your role, skills, and abilities. Now its time to get down to business. All of those good ideas you have are only as good as their alignment with organizational goals. Is there a big push for short term revenue you can utilize social media channels to help meet? Help meet this goal and you can rationalize the purchase of tools to measure your efforts and prove ROI. Can you help your PR team on a specific promo? This is a great way to push for the blog youve been asking for. By aligning your goals with those of the organization around you, the likelihood of getting the tools and resources you need are much higher.

3) Be Vocal

- This is closely related to point #1 but not quite the same. You know your stuff. Its second nature to you. Thats why you were hired. Do not operate under the impression that others in your organization know what you know or can read your mind. Be vocal about where you should be involved and how others projects will be received in the social space. Is there a new product coming out? Offer up some of your more vocal fans from social media as Beta users. Are there big organizational changes being made public? You know the importance of social media in times like that, so be sure you are included in that conversation and taken into account.

4) Show Your Numbers

- You are proud of the fact that you single handedly took your companys Facebook page from 63 Fans, to 6,000 in three months. Great " feels good right? Show your management. They will be impressed with the reach you are able to grow and cultivate in your respective space. Track clicks on links you tweet using Bit.ly or some other analytics tool to show the level of engagement you have helped to grow with your customer base. Measure and track conversion if you are working for an e-commerce site. Keep track of mentions online and utilize tools such as Raven to show how the sentiment needle is moving as a result of your presence online. When the rubber meets the road, numbers are what management needs to make decisions. Make them accessible, relevant and easy to digest.

5) Add Value to Existing Movements

- It is just as important to stay current on industry happenings as it is internal initiatives. Social Media is a valuable channel and can increase the effectiveness and reach of a wide variety of internal goals. Insert yourself (#1) and be vocal (#2) about how the channels you control can add value and increase the reach of things your organization is already doing. This will help the organization as a whole by amping up the effectiveness of work people are already doing, but will also ensure you or someone on your team will be included in ongoing conversations.

With numbers 1-5 out of the way, we will close it out. After all, your time is precious and youve got work to do!! Check back to see 5 more ways to get what you want.

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Kristy Bolsinger is currently employed as a Social Media Marketing Strategist with RealNetworks in Seattle, WA. Prior to her time at RealNetworks Kristy was working as a Social Media Marketing Consultant and completing her Masters in Business at Willamette University. She maintains a social media blog and can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Kristy Bolsinger

Kristy Bolsinger is a Senior Associate at PwC in Seattle, WA. She has previously worked at Ant's Eye View (acquired by PwC in 2012), and RealNetworks (GameHouse). Prior to her time at RealNetworks, and Ant's Eye View - Kristy was working as a Social Media Marketing Consultant and completing her MBA at Willamette University. She maintains a social media blog and can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Hey Kristy I admit that this post can be used as guide for the in house social media marketer. You made the things look simple and suggestions are really awesome. I enjoyed reading the 5th point and learned some important points mentioned in it. Anyway thank you for nice information and look forward to see more posts from you related to social media .

I always say that is important to make yourself heard, and let other know what you are capable of. Nobody can read your mind, and if YOU don't step up and be vocal, making others be aware of your skills, nobody will.

Thank you all for the great comments! I am glad to hear that it resonated and added value. Stay tuned to the second half for more of my thoughts on this topic!!
.-= Kristy Bolsinger recently posted: Team or Player: A look at brand loyalty =-.

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